Current-motor.



PATBNTED JUNE 19, 1906.

- 0. R. BUFFINGTON.

CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY13. 1906.

2 BHEETB-SHEET 1.

Witnesses Inventor ("Z/r V b I 8 w Rttomegs PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906. O.R. BUFFINGTON.

CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 1905.

2 SHEETS-$322111 2.

, Inventor.

Httomegs H \Nltnesses summ t-moron";

Speeificationof Iiet't'ers Patent;

Patented Jane 19; race;

To I all whom it" may concern;-

Beit known that I; CHAnLEsRu Brianne TON; a citizen of: the UnitedStates; 'residingz atFort Benton, in the county of Oh'o't'eau and Stateof Montana, haveinventedi a new and: useful Current-Motor, oi which"thGZfOllOWlIIQI is a-specification.

Thisinvention-relates to that classf hy draulicmotors whichrare known-ascurrent motors? and which are principally utilizedin comparativelyshallow streams andirivers:

The present invention'relates -to thata'particular class ofcurrent-motors inwhich suitably-supported endless chains are providedwith blades or paddles which'aresuccessively exposed to the action ofthe current; the power thus derived being transmitted from: one? of thechaimsuppo'rtingshaits to the machinery or a paratus which-is to bedrivenand which int e' pr'esent' instanceconsists of a water= elevatingdevice. I

The object of the invention is to simplify andiimprovethercon'struct'ion'vandi operation of"- this class-of devices; and'w'ith theseand otherendsin view, which will/readily appear as thenatureoi: the. in'ventionds better un derstood, the same consists intheimproved construction and novel arrangement: and combination": of parts,whichwill be: hereinafter fully described, andparticularly pointed outinthe claims? ln the accompanying." drawings has been illustrated asimple and preierredlform of embodiment ofltheinvention; itzbeing;however; understood that no. limitation is necessarily made to theprecise structuralidetailstherein exhibited; but-thatthe right isreserved to any changesalterations; and modifications towhich r'ecoursemay be had within the scope of the inventioniand without departingfromthe spirit or sacrificing theieificiencyof the same." g

Insaiddrawings; Figure lis a topplan view of a hydraulic motor'constru'cted'in' accordance with the principles ofthe invention: Fig. 2is a side elevation-of the same. is anendwiew. Fig; lisa-sectionaldetail view taken onthe plane indicated by the line 44tin-Fig. 1. f

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout'.bysimilar charac: ters of reference.

The motor properis-supported'by andbe- Fig: 3

. tween-'apair oi fioat's fi andi2r, both of which are provided withsloping'ends3 3 to concentrate the currentbetween said: floats Thelatter: are securely" connected by means of cross-beams or braces i 4and'vertical bolts? 501* other: suitable. connectingvmeans The innerfloat 1 which is the one that-in practice is nearest the shore,.iswwider thanthe outer float and of greater capacity, thus mahingritmore buoyant to enable it to support the'ma'vchinery' to 1 be driven,;a's: will be 'hereinaften described: Said inner fioatis to loe-anchoredto the shore. in position. for operation by meansiofbraces; cables;anchors; and'the like;

but these maybe of any well known-and aiproved construction and have'not been :in

catedzin the" drawings, with the exception of" portions ofibracesb.(Shownin Fig. 11), The motor proper is providedxwith a frame.

beams 83 and diagonal brac'eebeams: 9; but

the structural details- 0f said ira'me may be modified within the: scope of the inventions Said: framepr carriage as :itis 1 preferably calledis provided at the ends: thereof with bearings :10 ior shafts 1 1,carrying:sproeketwheels 1 2 supporting .a pair of endless chains 13which are so disposed as to pass:-'entirely around: the carriage: fromend to end oh the latter. Hingedly connected'withisaid'chains are bladeson'paddles- 14:, at the outer ed'ges of which are: attached brace-chains15'; the

including; longitudinal beams 7 n transverse free ends of which areconnected with the.

endless" chains 13 by means such as sna hooks16; whereby saidzbracechains may e shifted from one side of said blades to "the other; theadjustment ofthe brace chains-be= ing: such as; to permit the blades to*swing to an angle' oi approximately ninety degrees to the lowerlleadsof the-chainsl3i It-isim portant that the brace-chains or stay-chainsshall be capable of: being shifted from one side to the otherin order'that the movement may be reversed when the device is removed gen}; onebank of astream to the opposite Gross-bars 810i the motor-carriage arepro I vided at the ends thereof with annularlygrooved wheels or rollers18, traveling in curved grlooves 19 formed between uprights 20 '21:, w'ch are securedto and supported by theinnen sides of the ho ats: Thegrooves -1 9' arexiaced with track ironsorr'ail'sZZ, having and they areequipped with ratchet-teeth 29,

engaged by locking-pawls 30, whereby they may be retained againstbackward rotation. It will be seen that by rotating thesewindlass-shafts the motor-carriage may be raised or lowered and that itmay be supported above the water-level, if desired.

U on the inner float 1 is erected a suitable sca olding or towerstructure 31, near the upper and lower ends of which are bearings fortransverse shafts 32 and 33, each carrying a pair of sprocket-wheels 34,over which ass a pair of endless chains 35, between w 'ch buckets 36 aresuitably mounted, thus constituting a Water-elevator. The lower shaft 33carries an additional sprocket-wheel 37, which is connected by a chain38 with a s rocket-wheel 39 upon one of the motors afts 11, from whichmotion is thus transmitted to the Water-elevating device. The buckets ofthe latter are made to discharge into a trough or flume 40, one end ofwhich is supported, as upon a bracket 41, at the upper end of thescaffolding or structure 31.

The lower cross-braces 4,whereby the floats are connected with eachother, are preferably beveled upon their outer sides, as shown at 42 inFig. 3 of the drawings, for the purpose of offering the least possibleresistance to the incoming current.

As has been already stated, the grooves 19, in which the guide-wheels 18of the motorcarriage are made to travel, are curved or arcuate. This isin order that the chain 38, connecting the sprocket 39 of the motorshaft1 1 with the sprocket 37 upon the driven shaft 33, may be preserved in ataut condition' at any degree of vertical adjustment of the motorcarriage, and the said guidegrooves will be curved accordingly.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto anneared, the operation and advantages of this invention Wlll bereadily understood. The device is anchored in position for operation asnear the shore of a stream as may be convenient. When the motor-carriageis lowered, the current entering between the floats will operate againstthe exposed faces of such of the blades or paddles as are connected withthe lower leads of the chains 13, which latter are thereby set inmotion, it being understood that the lower edges of the blades which arein action are to be connected with the suporting-chains at points infront of said iilades. When the blades reach the rear end of thecarriage, they will fold down flat upon the latter and will remain inthis position while traversing the upper lead. At the front end of thecarriage the blades, when their centers of gravity pass beyond thesprocket-wheels 12, will drop in an outward direction until checked bythe stay-chains 15, thus presenting their faces to the incoming current.The operation continues until the 'motor-carriage 1S elevated above theinfluence of the current. When the device is shifted from one bank tothe opposite bank, the stay-chains 15 are shifted to the opposite sidesof the blades or paddles in order that the motion may be reversed, aswill be readily understood. It will also then be necessary to reversethe position of the buckets upon the water-elevator; but these changesmay be easily accomplished and are not frequently called for.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In acurrent-motor, a pair of floats spaced and connected to form asluiceway, pairs of guides supported upon said floats opposite to eachother and having correspondmgly-curved arcuate grooves, a rectangularframe or carriage having cross-bars provided with rollers guided in saidgrooves, frames supported upon the floats adjacent to the guides, a pairof shafts or drums journaled upon said frames and extending transverselyacross the sluiceway, flexible members con- 'necting said drums with thecross-bars of the frame or carriage, means for operating the drums toeflect vertical adjustment of the frame or carriage, shafts journaled inthe frame or carriage, sprocket-wheels upon said shafts, paddle-carryingchains guided over said sprocket-wheels, a shaft supported for rotationconcentric with the arcuate grooves in one pair of guides, and means fortransmitting motion to said shaft from one of the motor-shafts journaledin the frame or carriage.

2. In a current-motor, a pair of floats spaced and connected to form asluiceway, pairs of guides su ported upon said floats opposite to eachot er and having correspond mgly-curved arcuate grooves, ribbed railssecured upon the faces of said grooves, a rectangular frame or carriagehaving cross-bars provided with annularly grooved rollers guided in thearcuate grooves and engaging the ribbed rails with Which said groovesare faced, frames supported upon the floats ad j acent to the guides, apair of shafts or drums journaled upon said frames and extendingtransversely across the sluiceway, flexible members connecting saiddrums with the cross-bars of the frame or carriage, means for operatingthe drums to effect vertical adj ustment of the frame or carriage in thearc of a circle, motor-shafts journaled in the carriage,

endless chains guided over said shafts and my own I have heretoaflixed'my signature parrying blades or paddles, a ihafltl supported inthe presence of two Witnesses.

or rotation concentric Wit t e arcuate grooves in one pair of guides,and means for CHAS BUFFINGTON' 5 transmitting motion to said shaft fromone of Witnesses:

the motor-shafts upon the carriage. D. L. BLAQKSTONE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as EMIEL MUNDT.

